Contact-latch type firing mechanism for rocket launchers



pt. 25, 1956 R. A. DOAK, JR, ET AL 2,764,066

CONTACT-LATCH TYPE FIRING MECHANISM FOR ROCKET LAUNCHERS Filed Aug. 28,-1953 2 sheets-shew 1 an qi IN VEN TORS,

Ember E A.Dnak Jr. Lu'va R Garza pt. 25, 1956 R. A. DOAK, JR, ET AL 2,764,066

CONTACT-LATCH TYPE FIRING MECHANISM FOR ROCKET LAUNCHERS Filed Aug. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. Ember A.D|::a]-C J1-'. Luis H. [3 arz a.

HTTURJVEY'S CONT ACT-LATCH TYPE FIRING MECHANISM FOR ROCKET LAUNCIERS Robert A. Doak, Jr., and Luis R. Garza, San Antonio,

Tex., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application August 28, 1953, Serial No. 377,266

11 Claims. (Cl. 891.7)

This invention relates to contact firing mechanism for electrically-fired rocket launchers.

One conventional form of electrically fired rocket has a shroud ring about it stabilizing fins. A contact or firing band encircles the ring and is electrically insulated therefrom. This band is electrically connected internally of the rocket with the firing squib thereof and in firing, contact is completed from a source of voltage externally of the rocket to the band, with return lead grounded through the rocket casing and launcher tube. An insulated contact is carried by the launcher in such position as to engage the aforesaid band when the rocket is loaded into a certain position within the tube. It is important therefore, to insure rapid, safe and reliable firing that (1) the rocket is positively stopped in firing position when rammed into the breech end of the launcher, (2) the firing circuit is open until the rocket is properly loaded, (3) the stops are withdrawn before or simultaneously with closure of the firing circuit, (4) launching of the rocket reconditions the parts for a fresh round and opens the firing circuit. It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a combined rocket stop and contact firing device wherein the foregoing functions are effected rapidly, positively, in their proper order, and with a minimum of manual operation, whereby the rapid and safe launching of. rockets is assured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact mechanism including a pair of rocket stops, either of Y which will stop a rocket, even though a rocket is so loaded that one of its fins engages beneath and raises one of the stops to inoperative position.

Another object is to provide a pair of stops of such transverse width and spaced in such relation that both of them cannot be raised out of their position at the same time by a rocket fin.

Another object is to provide a firing circuit that can be quickly closed by a single motion of the operators hand while simultaneously withdrawing positively-operating stop means from the rockets path in launching.

Another object of the invention is to provide a firing mechanism whose parts will be returned to safe position by a trip actuated by the rocket upon exit from the launcher tube.

A still further object of the invention is to eliminate the necessity of attaching the hot wire to a terminal on the launcher tube to complete the circuit as Was formerly necessary with some launchers of this type.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the breech portion of launcher equipped with our invention;

Figure 2 is a view looking from the breech end of the launcher tube, parts being broken away for illustration of the device;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device;

atent "ice? Figure 4 is a section taken along lines 44, Figure 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view similar to Figure 3, but with the top of the casing broken away to illustrate the operating mechanism in top plan;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines 66 of Figure l and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section taken along lines 77 of Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing a rocket inserted into the launcher tube into firing position, the firing circuit being open; a

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but illustrating:

one of the stops raised by a rocket fin, while the other one locates the rocket in firing position;

Figure 9 is a similar view showing the operating leverdepressed and both stops pivoted into the housing and the circuit closed;

, Figure 10 is a similar view showing how the rocket' shroud 1a and having secured to the top of its breech portion an electrically insulated generally rectangular frame or housing 2. Thus for example a pad or plate 1b, Figure 1, may be secured about the tube by straps 1c and housing tube may be attached to the pad by rivets or screws 4 cooperating with holes in the base flanges of the housingso that the housing may be detachably connected. with the pad in a manner obvious from Figures v 6 carried by the housing and extending through the apical 1, 3 and 5. 7

An operating lever 5, U-shaped in cross-section .and.

having generally parallel triangular side flanges embraces and is pivoted over the housing tube by aligned pivots portions of the lever as best seen in Figure 6.

Arod 7 fixed to the underside of the operating lever, extends freely through an opening in the top of the housing 2. A coil spring 3 surrounds the rod and acts to urge lever 5 to the position shown upon Figure 7. The lower end of the rod bears against a tab 9 integral with one end of an arming lever 10 (see Figure 11), journaled on pin or shaft 11. This pin has its end mounted in aligned holes in the housing 2.

Two stop levers 12 and 13 are pivotally mounthed on shaft 11 and have adjacent ends formed with noses 12a and 13a which project into the bore of the tube 1 through sub-jacent aperture 14. An extension 10a projects at laterally from the arming lever 10 and normally lies under stop levers 12 and 13 to pivot them about pin 11 and thereby lift noses 12a and 13a when the arming lever 10 is actuated by pressing down upon operating lever 5.

A pair of springs 15 and 16 have their central portions extending about pin 11 (see Figures 5 and 7). Each of these springs has a looped end fitting over the top of a respective lever 12 and 13 and its other end engaging the top of housing 2 whereby the levers are urged into counterclockwise rotation as viewed in Figures 7 to 10, that is, into a position wherein they will engage and stop a rocket in firing position in the tube.

A second pin or shaft 17 is mounted at its ends in the side walls of housing 2 and pivotally supports a sear member 18 within the housing. Sear 18 has an extension 19 extending laterally therefrom and normally lying 7 against the ends 12b and 13b of levers 12 and 13. See Figure 8. Sear 18 is biased downwardly by a spring 22.

Also, mounted for rotation on'pin 11 isa cocking lever 23 provided with-a cam face 24 extending into thebore of the tube 1 as clearly showntupon Figures 7 through 10 and a lateral extension 25 normally lying-under and lifting sear 18 when the lever is tipped by a rocket fired from the tube.

A spring loaded contact plunger '26 having a reduced portion 26a at its upperend is'slidably mounted within aligned holes in a .U-shaped bracket 27 having its bight A pair of spring contact points .30 are provided, one of which isattached to the bracket 27 While the-other is attached to and insulated from the'under surface of housing 2. Thesepoints-are normally open and so positioned that when the stop 12 is raised by loading of a rocket into'the tube the points are closed. The lead 31 from the trigger,-notshown, is connected to a terminal 32 carried by a dielectricplate 32a riveted tothe front of the housing. A lead, not shown, extends from this terminal tothe upper one of .contacts 30 and when such f 19, from ends 121) and 13b of levers 12 and 13 and permits to engage the contact band C of a rocket R when the latter is loaded into the tube. V

contacts are closed the circuit extends tothe plunger 26 and contact band C of a rocket in the tube. In operation the safety-band, not shown, is removed from a rocket and the rocket is thrust into th'elauncheruntil the: shroud. ring is stopped by engagement with the projections 12a 7 and/ or 13a of levers 12 and 13, with pin 26 in engagement with the firing band C.

In normal postion before loading, both rocket stops 12- and 13 are positioned as shown upon Figure 7, with their noses or stop portions extending into the launcher tube under urge of springs 15 and 16. As these stops I are laterally spaced by a distance a little greater than the thickness of the rockets fins, at least one stop-will.

always be in position to engage the forward edge of the shroud ring and stop the rocket with its contact band C under and engaged by plunger 26. From Figure 8 it will be noted that with the stop in the operative or load ing position the ends 12b and 13b of the stops contact the rearward side of extension 19 of sear 18 and hold the latter upwardly against the tension of its spring 22.

When ready for firing, lever 5 is pressed downwardly and rod 7 pivots arming lever 10 and raises extension 10a to thereby raise the noses of both stop levers out of rocketcontacting position. Simultaneously, the ends 12!) and 13b of the stops are lowered, to thereby clear extension 19 and free sear 18 for downward pivotal movement under the urge of its spring 22. This movement causes the sear to contact extension 25 of cocking lever 23 to thereby yieldingly hold the latter in position so that its cam surface 24 will be engaged and pivoted upwardly by the shroud ring of the rocket as the rocket moves out of the tube in launching. Also extension 19 of the sear, in moving over the ends 12b and 13b of the stop levers holds them in raised position free of the rocket (see Figure 9) and thus acts through stop lever 12 to hold contacts 30 closed. The lever 5 is released after downward movement.

The rocket may now be fired by a pull on the trigger, not shown, which in the usual manner applies a voltage over cable or hot" wire 31 to contacts 30, plunger 26, insulated firing band C, the firing squib (not shown) within the rocket, and by ground return through the rocket casing and tube.

As the rocket is driven forwardly by its ignited propellent charge its shroud ring cams cocking lever 23 upwardly to thereby raise sear 18. This upward or counterclockwise pivotal movement of the sear, frees extension manual operation during a complete firing cycle. rocket is positively stopped in correct position within the themto drop downwardly to operating position under the urge of their springs 15 and 16, thereby opening contacts 30 andreadying the launcher for the next round.

- It-will thus be noted thatwe have-provided a contact and latch mechanism which is simple, compact, positive and reliable in operation and which requires only a single The tube, a single manual actuation of lever 5 raises the stops free of the rocket and closesthe firing circuit in response to the final portion of themovement of the stops. Raising of the stops releases the sear to hold the stops in elevated position and conditions the cocking lever so that movement of the rocketout of the tube in launching efiects elevates the sear, permits the stops to move into operating position, and opens the circuit.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to providing they fall with-' in the spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter defined by the appended claims, as only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described 1 What is claimed is:

1. In a launcher for fin-stabili'zed rockets having'a plurality of fins radially mounted about its rearward end' and a shroud ring and'a firing band encircling said fins, a launcher tube, a stop lever pivoted on said tube on an axis transversely thereto and having a nose portion, said lever being pivotable from an operating position whereinsaid nose portion engages and stops a rocket in firing position when loaded into said tube, to a release position I clearing the rocket for launching, means urging said stop lever into operating position, a pivoted arming lever.having an extension movable to engage and pivot said stop lever to release position, means manually operableto so pivot said arming lever, a sear normally held by said stop lever when in. operating position and released by movement of said stop lever to release-position to releasably hold said stop lever in release position, and a spring urging said sear into position holding said vstop lever in release position.

2. In a launcher for an electrically fired rocket having a shroud ring and a firing band, a frame adapted for attachment to a launcher tube over an aperture in the wall thereof, a stop lever pivoted between its ends in said frame on an axis transverse to the axis of the tube for pivotal movement from an operating position wherein a nose on one end of said lever projects through said aperture to engage the shroud ring of a rocket in said tube and stop the rocket in launching position, to a release position clear of the rocket, a spring urging said stop lever into operating position, a firing circuit comprising a normally open switch carried by said frame and closed by movement of said stop lever into release position, sear means pivoted on said frame and having an extension abutting the other end of said stop lever when the latter is in operating position and held thereby in a first position, spring means urging said sear into a second position wherein said extension moves over the contiguous ends of said stop lever to hold the same in release position, and means carried by said frame and manually operable to move said stop lever to release position.

3. In a launcher as recited in claim 2, a cocking lever pivoted in said frame and having a portion extending through an aperture in the wall of said tube for engagement and actuation by a rocket in launching movement, said cocking lever engaging and moving said sear to first position in responseto .movement of the rocket out of said tube.

4. In a launcher for electrically fired rockets, a launcher tube, stop means carried by said tube and movable from an operative position engaging andstopping a rocket in launching position within the tube to a release position free of the rocket, spring means urging said step means into operative position, a firing circuit including a normally open switch closed by movement of said stop means to release position, a sear normally held in first position by said stop means when in operative position and movable to second position to hold said stop means in response to movement of the same to release position, spring means urging said sear into second position, cocking means carried by said tube in position to be engaged and moved by a rocket in launching movement out of said tube, means responsive to movement of said cocking means by a rocket to move said sear to first position, and means manually operable to move said stop means into release position.

5. In a launcher for an electrically-fired fin-stabilized rocket having a stop ring encircling the same, a launcher tube, a pair identical stop levers pivoted on said tube on a common axis transversely thereof in spaced side by side relation, each said lever being pivotable from a first position wherein one end thereof projects through an opening in said tube to engage the stop ring of a rocket when loaded to firing position within said tube, to a second position clearing the rocket for launching, a firing circuit including a rocket contact plunger and a normally open switch in series both carried by said tube, spring means urging said stop levers into first position, means manually operable to move said stop levers simultaneously into .second position, and sear means operable automatically .to releasably hold said stop levers in second position, said switch being closed by and in response to movement of said levers into second position.

6. In a launcher for rockets, a tube, a frame secured to the wall of the breech portion of said tube, a shaft carried by said frame transversely of the axis of said tube, a pair of duplicate stop levers journaled in spaced, sideby-side relation on said shaft and spring-urged into position wherein one end of each said lever extends into said tube to engage and stop a rocket in launching position, an arming lever journaled on said shaft and having a lateral extension passing beneath said stop levers to engage and pivot the same to a release position clear of a rocket in said tube, means carried by said frame and manually operable to pivot said arming lever, and a sear automatically released by movement of said stop levers into release positionto releasably hold the same in such position.

7. A launcher as recited in claim 6, a firing circuit comprising a spring pressed plunger carried by said frame and engaging the firing band of the rocket when stopped by said levers, and a normally open switch carried by said frame and closed only by and in response to movement of said levers into release position.

8. A launcher as recited in claim 6, said stop levers being spaced by a distance such that the fin of a rocket launched therefrom can engage but one lever only.

9. A launcher for a fin-stabilized rocket comprising, a launcher tube, a frame fixed on said tube, first and second spaced parallel shafts carried by said frame transversely of said tube, a pair of stop levers journaled by said first shaft for pivotal movement from an operating position wherein one end of said levers engages and stops .a rocket in launching position, to a release position free of the rocket, spring means urging said stop levers into operating position, an arming lever journaled by said shaft and having an extension across said stop levers for pivoting the same to release position, a sear journaled on said second shaft, said sear having an extension engaging the other end of said stop levers when in operating position to be held thereby in a first position, a spring urging said sear into a pivotal position wherein its extension moves over said other ends of said stop levers and helds the same in release position when said stop levers are pivoted into release position, a cocking lever pivoted on said second shaft and having an extension lying beneath said sear to engage and move the same to its said first position, in response to pivotal movement of said cocking lever by launching movement of a rocket out of said tube, and means manually operable to actuate said arming lever to thereby move said stop levers to release position.

10. In a rocket launcher, a launcher tube, a frame fixed with said tube, first and second shafts mounted in spaced parallel relation in said frame transversely of said tube a pair of duplicate stop levers pivoted between their ends on said first shaft in spaced side-by-side relation, said stop levers being pivotable from a first position wherein one end of each projects into said tube to engage and stop a rocket in launching position, to a release position clear of a rocket in said tube, an arming lever pivoted on said tube and having a lateral extension beneath said stop levers to pivot the same to release position, a sear pivoted on said second shaft and having an extension engaged by the other ends of said stop levers to be held thereby in cocked position, spring means urging said cocking lever into a position wherein its extension lies over and holds, said stop levers in release position when the same are moved into such position, a cocking lever pivoted on said second shaft and having an extension engageable with said sear to move the same to cocked position by and in response to launching movement of a rocket out of said tube, means carried by said frame and manually actuable to pivot said arming lever and thereby move said stop levers to release position, a contact plunger spring pressed radially inwardly to contact the firing band of a rocket when stopped by said stop levers, a normally open switch carried by said frame and closed only in response to movement of said stop levers into release position, and a firing circuit connecting said switch and plunger in series.

11. A launcher as recited in claim 10, said stop levers being spaced so that only one can be engaged by the fin of a rocket to be launched therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,636 Gould Nov. 11, 1947 2,440,723 MacDonald May 4, 1948 2,460,929 Golf Feb. 8, 1949 2,496,316 Skinner et a1. Feb. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 589,177 Great Britain June 13, 1947 671,873 Great Britain May 14, 1952 682,657 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1952 l N W t 

